Electric igniter.



No. 732,366. PATENTBD JUNE 30, l903.--

H. G. MEARS & H. W. AYLWARD.

ELECTRIC IGNITER.

APPLIOATIOR FILED APR. 3. 1903.

N0 IODEL.

Witnesses: Inventor:

Attorneys UNITED STATES Patented June 30, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT G. MEARS, OF NEWV YORK, AND HENRY N. AYLVVARD, OF BROOKLYN, NEWYORK, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

THE AUTO-IGNITER COMPANY,

TION OF NEW JERSEY.

OF NEWT YORK, N. Y., A CORPORA- ELECTRIC IGNITER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,366, dated June 30,1903.

Application filed April 31 1903. Serial No. 150,911. (No model.)

To roll whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HERBERT G. MEARS, residing in the borough ofManhattan, and HENRY WV. AYLWARD,residingin the borough of Brooklyn,city of New York, State of New York, both citizens of the United States,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electric Igniters,of which the fol lowing is a description.

Our invention relates to electric igniters for internal-combustionengines of the type invented by Le Pontois and disclosed in applicationfor patent filed February 15, 1902, Serial No. 94,288, (renewed January10, 1903, Serial No. 138,518,) wherein a rotating magnetic inductorhaving a cut-away portion is moved with respect to a coil or coilscarried by a stationary magnet, so as to generate electric impulses forigniting the successive compressed explosive charges in theenginecylinder. The special inductor described by Le Pontois was theengine fly-wheel itself; but owing to its considerable diameter itsperipheral speed was relatively high, and consequently its cut-awayportion would be swept past the magnet so rapidly as to generate acurrent during an extremely briefinterval. In practice it was somewhatdifficult to secure the best results from such an arrangement.Subsequent to Le Pontoisit was suggested by Ganz (application filedJanuary 29, 1903, Serial No. 1 10,987) to employ a separate independentinductor of relatively small diameter, so as to thereby secure a muchlower peripheral speed with a consequent prolongation of the generationperiod.

Our present invention relates, specifically, to igniters of the LePontois type as modified by Ganz; and our objects generally are toimprove and simplify the construction of these devices, to make themmore compact, and to increase their efficiency. With all the igniters ofthe Le Pontois type, as suggested by Le Pontois, by Ganz,.and in our ownapplications filed November 19, 1902, Serial Nos. 131,971 and 131,972,respectively, the pole-pieces were arranged at right angles to the axisof the inductor, so that the cutaway portion of the inductor movessuccessively with respect to the pole-pieces. Such anarrangementnecessitated the mounting of the inductor either entirely outside orentirely within the inductor and required the spacing of the polesrelatively far apart. Consequently the prior device was not as compactas is desirable in practice, nor was the field of force between thepoles as concentrated as is necessary to secure the best results. Withour present invention We aim to improve the device in the respectsnoted, and to this end we make use of a disk-like inductor of relativelysmall diameter and relatively thin longitudinally and formed with acut-away portion extending through its periphery, said cut-away portionbeing filled with a non-magnetic material, such as phosphor-bronze orBabbitt metal, and We so arrange the magnet with respect to thisinductor that the inductor shall rotate between the magnet-poles, one ormore of the poles being provided with a coil or coils in which thecurrent is generated. In this way we construct a very simple and compactdevice, and since the poles are separated substantially for a distanceequal only to the relatively thin inductor, thefield of magnetic forceis very concentrated, so that the device will operate with highefficiency.

In order that the invention may be better understood, attention isdirected to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification, and in which Figure 1 is a side view of our improvedigniter; Fig. 2 an end View, and Fig. 3 a plan view, of the same.

In all of the above views corresponding parts are represented by thesame numerals of reference.

The inductor 1 is shown as a steel-spoked wheel mounted on the shaft 2and provided with a cut-away portion 3, which maybe filled with a block4 of non-magnetic material, such as phosphor-bronze or Babbitt metal.The

shaft 2 represents the usual crank-shaft of an internal-combustionengine; but it may be obviously the cam-shaft of such an engine,

in which case the engine of the ordinary type will rotate it at one-halfthe speed of'the crank-shaft. The shaft 2 is mounted in a bearing 5,carried by an arm 6, connected to or formed with the engine-frame. Themagnet as a Whole is formed of a series of permanent horseshoemagnets 7,secured to two poles 8 and 9 by washers 10 and screws 11. The pole 8cooperates closely with one side of the inductor, as shown. The pole 9is formed with two pole-pieces 12, one or both of which carries a coil13, connected with the sparking apparatus of the engines either throughan induction-coil or through a circuit-breaker, both of whicharrangements are-common in the art. It will be obvious that thepolepieces 12 are separated from the pole 8 by a distance onlyslightlygreater than the thickness of the inductor, so that the field offorce will be concentrated and the efficiency relatively high. In orderto properly support the magnet and at the same time to permit ofrelative adjustment of the same with respect to the inductor, We securethe non-magnetic blocks 14 between the two poles 8 and 9 and clampadjusting. rods 15 to the same by means of bolts 16. The adjusting-rods15 work in sleeves 17, carried on brackets 18, and are locked in anyposition of adjustment in said sleeves by set-screw 19.

In operation the rotation of the inductor with respect to themagnet-poles will result in the generation byinduction of electriccurrents in the coil or coils 13, as suggested by Le Pontois, and thesecurrents are utilized for the ignition of the successive explosivecharges in any well-known way.

Having now described our invention, what We claim as new therein, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In an electric igniter of the character described the combinationwith an inductor having a cut-away portion of a magnet whose poles arearranged parallel to the longitudinal axis of said inductor and a coilcarried by one of the magnet-poles.

2. In an igniter of the character described, the combination with adisk-like inductor havinga cut-away portion of a magnet whose poles arearranged parallel to the longitudinal axis of the inductor and a coilcarried by one of the magnet-poles, substantially as set forth.

3. In an igniter of the character described, the combination with aninductor having a cut-away portion of a magnet straddling the inductorwith the magnet-poles arranged parallel to the longitudinal axis of theinductor and a coil carried by one of the magnet-poles, substantially asset 'forth.

4.. In an igniter of the character described, the combination with adisk-like inductor of a magnet straddling the inductor with themagnet-poles arranged parallel to the longitudinal axis of the inductorand a coil carried by one of the magnet-poles, substantially as setforth.

5. In an igniter of the character described, the combination with adisk-like inductor of a magnet straddling the same and between the polesof which the inductor is movable, a pole-piece carried by one of themagnet-poles and located closely adjacent to the inductor and a coil onsaid pole-piece.

6. In anigniter of the character described, the combination with adisk-like inductor of a magnet straddling the same and between the polesof which the inductor is movable, a plurality of pole-pieces carried byone of the magnet-poles and located closely adjacent to the inductor anda coil on one of said polepieces.

7. In an igniter of the character described the combination with aninductor having a cut-away. portion of a magnet cooperating withsaidinductor, with the magnet-poles arranged parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the inductor, a coil carried by one of themagnet-poles, and means for adjusting the magnet with respect to theinductor.

8. In an igniter of the character described, the combination withadisk-like inductor having a cut-away portion of a magnet straddling theinductor with the magnet-poles arranged parallel to the longitudinalaxis of the inductor, acoil carried by One of the magnet-poles and meansfor adjusting the magnet with respect to the inductor.

This specification signed and witnessed this 17th day of March, 1903.

HERBERT G. MEARS. HENRY W. AYLWARD.

Witnesses:

JNo. RoBT. TAYLOR, JOHN LOUIS LoTsoH.

